


Two of a Kind

by MirrorMystic



Series: Tailwind [2]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/F, Gals being pals, Gen, M/M, Pre-Relationship, guys being dudes, what's better than this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-10
Updated: 2017-05-10
Packaged: 2018-10-30 05:52:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10870449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MirrorMystic/pseuds/MirrorMystic
Summary: “It’s not a date,” Ryuji had said, adamant, when they were first making plans. “It’s just four friends hanging out. Just, y’know… two dudes… and two girls… at the amusement park.”Akira had looked up at him, Ann’s invite half-typed on his phone.“So…” Akira blinked. “Think I should get dressed up?”“Dude,” Ryuji sighed. “Don’t make it weird…”





	Two of a Kind

**Author's Note:**

  * For [OrangeBlossoms](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrangeBlossoms/gifts), [waxandwane](https://archiveofourown.org/users/waxandwane/gifts).



> A somewhat distant follow-up to Small Steps. As flippant as my tags might sound, I really did enjoy writing this- these four, I think, deserved some time to just relax and be with each other. But, as they say, all good things...
> 
> Fun fact: Tokyo Dome City Attractions (or "Dome Town" as it's known in-game) is a real amusement park, and they really do have a rollercoaster called the Thunder Dolphin, teacups, a haunted house, and the world's first ferris wheel without a central hub. No tunnel of love, though. That one must be new. 
> 
> Shout out to Tokyo Dome City Attraction's website, both for being available in English and for keeping fic research interesting. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy the fluff while it lasts. And I hope you all enjoy the read. ^^

~*~  
  
Tokyo Dome City truly lived up to its namesake. A massive, sprawling entertainment district in the heart of Tokyo, with the Tokyo Dome itself the jewel in its crown. And on a beautiful, cloudless day, Dome City amusement park sparkled like a jewel in the sun.  
  
Akira stood, gazing up at the city of blinding lights and metal spires rising up around him. Ryuji sidled up beside him, bumping an elbow against his.  
  
“Close your mouth, dude,” Ryuji grinned. “You look like a tourist.”  
  
“I am a tourist,” Akira shrugged. “I’ve only been in Tokyo a few months, remember?”  
  
“You live here; that’s different,” Ryuji said, looking up at the monolithic form of the Tokyo Dome dominating the horizon, silhouetted by the rise of a rollercoaster before it. “Still. Hell of a place, huh? Can you believe they don’t even charge admission here?”  
  
"That's to get in the park, not to get on the rides," Akira said. He jerked his head towards the Dome. “Besides, I bet all the real money’s in stadium tickets.”  
  
“You ever think of seeing a concert in there?” Ryuji asked.  
  
Akira shrugged. “Depends on who’s playing.”  
  
“How about a baseball game?”  
  
Akira smiled. “Ditto.”  
  
Ryuji grinned. It always came easier when Akira was around.  
  
“So, where’s Morgana?’ Ryuji asked. It was rare that Akira’s bag was missing from his shoulder.  
  
“I left him sleeping and sunbathing on my bed at Leblanc,” Akira replied. He caught Ryuji’s gaze, his glasses flashing in the light. “It’s just you and me.”  
  
There was something about Akira’s eyes- meek and unassuming one moment, piercing and calculating the next.  
  
Ryuji felt his cheeks go hot. He told himself it was just the sun.  
  
“Yep… just the two of us dudes… here at the amusement park… together...”  
  
Someone called out from behind them. Ann was waving from the gate, tugging Shiho along by the hand.  
  
“Oh, the girls are here!” Ryuji blurted out. “Maybe we can, y’know… pair up…”  
  
Akira laughed and shook his head. “Whatever you say…”  
  
The pair that approached them was as different as night and day- Shiho, limping, composed, quiet, cool; Ann leading the way, flaxen hair shining in the sunlight, loud, bright, and warm.  
  
Akira glanced knowingly at Ryuji, the _other_ loud, boisterous blonde he knew.  
  
“Hey, you guys!” Ann squealed, practically bouncing on her heels. “You ready for this?”  
  
“I’m sorry we’re late…” Shiho said meekly. “I, um… I kind of have to take it slow…”  
  
“Hey, it’s no biggie,” Ryuji said. “Shiho, this is Akira Kurusu. Akira, Shiho Suzui.”  
  
“We’ve met,” Akira said, catching Shiho’s eyes.    
  
“We did,” Shiho nodded. “When you and Ann helped me back up to the roof. ...Not really the best impression of me.”  
  
“Then let’s start over,” Akira said. He offered his hand. “Akira Kurusu.”  
  
“Charmed,” Shiho smiled- a slight, subtle thing. “Shiho Suzui.”  
  
“And I’m Ann Takamaki!” Ann chimed in.  
  
“We all know who _you_ are,” Ryuji rolled his eyes, grinning. “Come on, guys, it’s no time to stand around! The roller coaster’s waitin’!”  
  
~*~  
  
Akira stared up at the roller coaster snaking its way across Dome City’s skyline. It was huge. It even had the audacity to go _through_ the ring of the ferris wheel- and how, exactly, did that ferris wheel work without a central hub? That was either a marvel of engineering or an accident waiting to happen. Or both. It could be both.  
  
Ann casually leaned her elbow on Akira’s shoulder. He practically jumped out of his skin.  
  
“You, uh… You okay there, fearless leader?” Ann asked, blinking at him.  
  
“I have a, uh, thing. With heights.”  
  
“A thing.” Ann sounded dubious.  
  
“Don’t judge,” Shiho said gently. “Don’t _you_ have a thing with bugs-”  
  
“Oh _god_ , is there one on me?!” Ann shrieked.  
  
“Volume,” Akira grumbled. Shiho smiled in sympathy, rubbing a thumb across Ann’s knuckles.  
  
“Save your screamin’ for _after_ you get on the ride,” Ryuji said, returning from the ticket booth.  
  
Ann turned to Ryuji and shrieked again.  
  
“Oh my god! Ryuji!”  
  
“What! What?!”  
  
“It’s _you_ ,” Ann said, dissolving into laughter. Akira joined her, unable to stop himself. Even Shiho had to cover her mouth so Ryuji wouldn’t see her smile.  
  
“Alright, alright, laugh it up,” Ryuji muttered, poking his thumbs through his belt loops. “I’m gettin’ a whole lot of attitude for someone who bought your tickets.”  
  
Akira blinked. “Um. I mean. _I_ gave you that money.”  
  
“Yeah, well I stood in line, so…”  
  
“Thank you for this, by the way,” Shiho put in softly. “You didn’t have to buy our tickets, too.”  
  
Akira didn’t mention how or why he had so much money to spare, nor how he’d be getting an earful from Makoto for using the Phantom Thieves’ operational funds to spend a day at the amusement park.  
  
“Any time,” he said instead.  
  
“So, who’s up for that Thunder Dolphin?” Ryuji grinned, handing out everyone’s tickets.  
  
“I always thought that was a weird name for a rollercoaster,” Ann said.  
  
“I’m sure all the girls at school _love_ the ‘Thunder Dolphin’,” Akira said, deadpan. He saw Shiho staring. “...You know, because it sounds like a-”  
  
“She gets it,” Ann snapped.  
  
“Wait, I don’t, actually,” Shiho murmured. “What are we talking about?”  
  
The four of them made their way up onto the boarding platform. Ryuji flashed a set of four passes to the attendant, who waved them through. They made their way to the front of the growing line, trying to ignore all the dirty looks.  
  
“I went ahead and got the skip passes,” Ryuji explained, grinning. “No lines for us!”  
  
“Is it too late for me to sit this one out?” Akira muttered, staring up at the metal arches of the rollercoaster.  
  
“What are you, scared?” Ryuji grinned. “Don’t worry. I’ll be right here.”  
  
“My hero,” Akira said, with _just_ enough sincerity that it gave Ryuji pause.  
  
It was their turn to board. Their car conveniently held four people. Ryuji sat in front, and Akira reluctantly climbed in beside him.  
  
“Wait a sec,” Ryuji hissed. “Sit behind me. That way-”  
  
“Yeah, yeah…” Akira said, taking the seat behind Ryuji.  
  
Ann came up next, rolled her eyes, and joined Ryuji in front, while Shiho settled in beside Akira in the back. She looked at him.  
  
“Um… Are you actually going to be okay?” Shiho asked. “You don’t _have_ to do this…”  
  
“I’ll be fine, thanks,” Akira forced a smile. “...Also, Ryuji already bought my ticket.”  
  
“You’re welcome!” Ryuji called from the seat ahead.  
  
“You can hold my hand,” Shiho said. “If you want.”  
  
Akira smiled. This time was more genuine. “I’ll be fine.”  
  
Shiho nodded.  
  
The safety bar lowered in front of them. The ride began with a hiss of steam.  
  
The track began to climb…  
  
~*~  
  
Akira stepped out onto the platform. Excitement buzzed in the air around him, but all he felt was mildly lightheaded. The crowd dispersed around them.  
  
Ryuji’s hand clapped into his back.  
  
“What. Did you think. Of that.” Ryuji asked, grinning from ear to ear.  
  
“Um.” Akira blinked. “I blacked out. I don’t remember a thing.”  
  
“Whoa. Seriously?” Ann asked, leaning over to look Akira in the eyes. He pushed his glasses further up along his nose.  
  
“I’m sorry, dude,” Ryuji said. “I shouldn’t have pushed ya.”

“It’s alright,” Akira shrugged. “Long as you guys are having fun.”  
  
“Hey,” Shiho called. “Come look at this.”  
  
Shiho had joined a throng of people who’d gathered around a booth on the way off the platform. A bank of monitors sat overhead, each one displaying a picture of a roller coaster car.  
  
“There must be cameras set in the track to take souvenir photos,” Shiho said.  
  
“And then you can buy the prints, right?” Ann asked. She pointed. “There we are, in car number one.”  
  
It was a color photograph of the four of them coming down the Thunder Dolphin’s steepest drop- Ryuji and Ann screaming their heads off in the front seat, Shiho implausibly poised but still delighted in the back, and Akira, his expression unreadable, his glasses seemingly opaque from catching the light at just the right angle.  
  
“Oh man,” Ryuji said, squinting up at the screen. He turned to Akira. “...That’s a great shot of you.”  
  
“Thanks, Ryuji.”  
  
“I kinda wanna buy the print.”  
  
“With _my_ money, I bet.”  
  
“Excuse me,” Shiho said, meekly raising her hand like she was still in class. “Would anyone like to go again?”  
  
“Me, me!” Ann bounced on her heels.  
  
“I’m down,” Ryuji said.  
  
“I’ll pass,” Akira groaned.  
  
“Okay,” Shiho smiled. She started rummaging around in her purse. “Because if this is one of _those_ kinds of roller coasters, there’s something I’ve always wanted to try…”  
  
~*~  
  
“You didn’t have to stay with me,” Akira said, waiting on a bench by the exit platform.  
  
“It didn’t feel right, leaving you alone,” Ryuji said. “You feeling okay?”  
  
Akira waved his hand, dismissing the thought. “Don’t worry about me. You go and have fun.”  
  
“Dude. You sound like my mom.”  
  
“That’s a compliment, coming from you. You love your mom.”  
  
Ryuji sighed wistfully. “Yeah… You know her birthday’s coming up?”  
  
“Oh, yeah? Thinking of getting her some chocolate?”  
  
“What? Dude. No. You give chocolate to girls.”  
  
“Oh, so your mom isn’t a-”  
  
“Shut up. You know what I mean.”  
  
“That’s a dumb rule. Everybody loves chocolate. It’s not just a Valentine’s Day thing. Look at Ann.”  
  
“Oh, dude, Ann’ll eat chocolate any day…”  
  
The roller coaster car arrived at the platform with a hiss of steam. Not long after, Ann was bounding towards the guys’ bench, clutching an envelope, while Shiho trailed behind, a sheepish smile on her face.  
  
Akira found himself taken aback by her smile. Because, really, how often had he seen it before? Every time he’d seen Shiho before today- and, granted, that wasn’t a lot- she’d seemed so burdened, so haunted.  
  
But here, she was smiling, like the moon on a cloudless night. And, god, there was a smile worth protecting.  
  
“Take. A look. At these!” Ann announced brightly, slapping the envelope down on the bench.  
  
Ryuji reached inside. He didn’t even get the photo all the way out of the sleeve before he started cracking up.  
  
“Did it come out okay?” Shiho wondered. “If I had known, I’d have brought a shogi board…”  
  
Akira took the envelope from Ryuji and slipped out the photo. It was their roller coaster car, with two other folks screaming their heads off as they came down the drop… and Ann and Shiho right up front, unfazed, playing a game of cards.  
  
Akira laughed, taking in the jarringly absurd scene.  
  
“Oh, man,” Akira grinned. “That’s going up on a wall.”  
  
“So,” Ryuji said, clapping a hand on Akira’s shoulder. “What’s next?”  
  
~*~  
  
To Akira’s chagrin, the teacups were next, and once they were inside, the booths weren’t the only things that were spinning. It seemed only fitting that they’d take a break from _vertical_ motion sickness and sample it _horizontally_ instead- truly, a well-rounded experience.  
  
After Ryuji’s bizarrely intense insistence that they switch partners, Ryuji was with Shiho in a neighboring teacup, while Akira shared one with Ann. He was pinned against her shoulder by centrifugal force, his glasses seemingly opaque in the light. First the Velvet Room, then the incident with Kamoshida, and now, it seems, even _physics_ couldn’t resist pushing them together.  
  
Ann, for her part, seemed to take it in stride.  
  
“You okay, fearless leader?” She asked.  
  
“This may come as a surprise, but I’m not much of a ride person,” Akira said, Ann’s voluminous hair whipping in his face.  
  
“Aww! Why would you treat us to a trip here if you weren’t going to have fun?”  
  
“I’m having fun,” Akira protested. He pointed to himself. “This is my ‘having fun’ face.”  
  
“If you say so,” Ann shrugged. “Hey, is it just me, or is Ryuji acting kinda weird?”  
  
“I just figured he really likes roller coasters.”  
  
“No- well, yeah. But isn’t there something else, don’t you think?”  
  
“I don’t know,” Akira said, sheepish, rubbing the back of his head. “He’s been in a weird mood ever since we first planned this trip. For some reason, he really wants the guys paired up with the girls.”  
  
“What? Seriously?” Ann rolled her eyes. “Ugh, that is so him! He better not be trying anything funny with Shiho! I bet he’s talking about something weird right now!”  
  
~*~  
  
“...So, you’re not going back?” Ryuji was asking, their teacup spinning ‘round.  
  
Shiho shook her head. “I can walk now, but it’ll be awhile until I can even consider playing volleyball again. I don’t think Inaba even _has_ a volleyball team.”  
  
“Well, if it did, then. You still wouldn’t join?”  
  
Shiho smiled, tinged with sadness. “No. I think my days as a student athlete are over.”  
  
“That’s a damn shame. You were great out there.”  
  
“Thanks.”  
  
“Are you gonna miss it?” Ryuji asked.  
  
“‘The grind’?” Shiho giggled. “Training every day, people shouting in the stands? I will, a little bit. But overall, it was a little too much for me. A little too loud, too overbearing. I’ll miss the team, though.”  
  
“They’ve got a new coach now, you know that? After… y’know. Mishima talks about you. He’s gunning for your old position.”  
  
Shiho smiled. “Yuki…”  
  
Ryuji blinked. “Whoa. You’re, uh… you’re that close to him, huh?”  
  
“I am now,” Shiho admitted. “But he’s, um… don’t tell him this, but, he’s, uh… not very good.”  
  
“Maybe not before,” Ryuji said. “But now, he’s really giving it his all. He said he’s doing it for you. Maybe you can come see him play sometime.”  
  
“Maybe I will,” Shiho smiled. “In the meantime, I think I’ll look somewhere outside of sports. Maybe in medicine. I could be a physical therapist.”  
  
“You ask me, that sounds way harder than joining the team,” Ryuji said.  
  
“What about you?” Shiho asked.  
  
“I dunno,” Ryuji sighed. “Shujin’s reinstated the track team. I could go back, but… eh. I don’t know. Honestly, I haven’t thought that far ahead.”  
  
“It’s okay,” Shiho said gently. “You still have time. Anything can happen.”  
  
~*~  
  
“Ugh,” Ryuji groaned, grinding the heel of his palm into his eyes as he walked, Akira beside him. “I messed up, dude.”  
  
“What? Why?”  
  
“Because all I could talk about was sports, and, like, school stuff!” Ryuji whined. “Girls don’t want to hear about that crap! I couldn’t think of anything, I dunno, _romantic_ to say!”  
  
“Don’t you think you’re trying too hard?” Akira asked. “Don’t you think you’re, maybe, missing the forest for the trees?”  
  
“I literally don’t know what that means, dude.”  
  
Akira sighed. “It _means_ -”  
  
“We’re back!” Ann announced, returning across the concourse with a plastic cup in one hand and a trailing Shiho in the other.  
  
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Shiho said softly.  
  
“No worries,” Akira said.  
  
Ryuji jutted his chin towards the cup in Ann’s hand. “Ann, only _you_ could leave to go to the bathroom and come back with a smoothie.”  
  
“It’s bubble tea,” Ann corrected. “And joke’s on you, because it’s sweet almond and it is _delicious_.”  
  
“Um,” Shiho spoke up. “Where should we go next…?”  
  
“About that,” Ryuji said, flipping open a brochure, “I had just the place in mind…”  
  
~*~  
  
Ann looked up at the entrance of the dimly lit tunnel, with a waterway filled with flower petals. She raised an eyebrow.  
  
“I don’t remember _this_ ride. How long has this been here?”  
  
“Must be new,” Shiho said.  
  
“‘Tunnel of Love’,” Akira read aloud. He shot Ryuji a sardonic look. “So, about that whole ‘trying too hard’ thing…”  
  
“Dude, just get in line,” Ryuji groaned.  
  
~*~  
  
The tunnel was built to mimic a romantic boat ride across a moonlit lake- if the ‘lake’ were six inches of water in a concrete ditch, the ‘moonlight’ was strips of LEDs set into the walls, and the ‘boat’ was a painted wooden swan with a bench seat that rolled along on tracks just beneath the water rather than being carried by any current.  
  
Still, it was a little place of reprieve from the huge, thronging, chattering crowds, and it was the first ride today where Akira didn’t immediately feel sick. So that was a plus.  
  
Akira trailed a hand through the water, parting curls of flower petals with his fingers. This place was alright. Maybe he just wasn’t enough of an artist, or a romantic. He was sure Yusuke would love this place, though.  
  
Akira sat back in his seat and let out a contented sigh.  
  
“This is nice,” Shiho said, beside him.  
  
~*~  
  
Further down the tunnel, Ryuji was in his own boat, resting his chin in his hands.  
  
“Figures I’d be stuck with you,” Ryuji grumbled.  
  
“Yep. You’re never getting rid of me,” Ann grinned, sipping her bubble tea. She held out the cup. “Want some?”  
  
“Sure, whatever.” Ryuji pouted and took a sip. He blinked. “Huh. That _is_ pretty sweet.”  
  
Ann gave him a strange, smoky look. She leaned in close, and whispered in Ryuji’s ear:  
  
“...That’s an indirect kiss."  
  
“ARGH! Ann!” Ryuji exploded. “ _Don’t make it weird!!!_ ”  
  
~*~  
  
“It’s nice to have some peace and quiet, don’t you think?” Akira asked.  
  
“It is,” Shiho said softly. “All the crowds and the noise were getting a little... “  
  
“Overwhelming?” Akira offered.  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“How are you feeling?” Akira asked.  
  
“Me?” Shiho giggled. “What about you? You’re the one who passed out on the rollercoaster. Even now, you look pale… like you might cry. Or throw up.”  
  
“That’s just my face,” Akira shrugged. “Seriously, though. Are you okay?”  
  
“Well… my legs are a little sore,” Shiho admitted, sighing. “This place is bigger than I thought it would be. We’ve been walking a lot. And being around so many people is kind of… draining.”  
  
“I know the feeling,” Akira said.  
  
~*~  
  
“Being around you is kind of exhausting, you know that?”  
  
Ann rolled her eyes. “Yeah, Ryuji, girls love to hear that.”  
  
“I’m just stating a fact,” Ryuji explained. “I meant it in, like, a good way.”  
  
“Uh-huh.” Ann blew a stray lock of hair out of her face. “You’re such an ass,” she teased.  
  
“Yeah, but I’m _your_ ass,” Ryuji grinned.  
  
“Excuse me, _my_ ass is perfectly toned. You, on the other hand-”  
  
“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”  
  
“I’m saying, someone’s falling behind in their training!”  
  
“Oh! That’s rich, coming from the girl who’d never been to a gym until I took her! Until _I_ wrote up her damn training regimen! What- did you just want to get in shape so you could start making moves on Akira?”  
  
“Oh, like how _you_ were chatting up Shiho? That’s my best friend!”  
  
“That’s _my_ best friend! And- And _you_ were flirting with _him_!”  
  
“ _You_ were flirting with _her_! Why are you getting so jealous, anyways?!”  
  
“I’m not!”  
  
“Yes, you are!”  
  
"I'm _not_!"  
  
“Meathead!”  
  
“Ditz!”  
  
“Momma’s boy!”  
  
“Sweet-tooth!”  
  
“‘Sweet-tooth’? Is that really the best you can come up with, you… blonde-”  
  
“You’re blonde too!”  
  
“Oh, shut up, you- you- twink!”  
  
“ _TWINK?!?!_ ”  
  
~*~  
  
“Please,” Shiho was in the middle of saying. “You’ve already paid for my ticket. You don’t have to worry about me, too.”  
  
Akira shrugged. “Isn’t that what friends do?”  
  
An otherworldly feeling overtook Akira’s senses. A shadow in armor moved behind his eyes.  
  
_I sense a kindred spirit,_ came a woman’s voice from within him. Valkyrie, one of his Personae.  
  
There was something up ahead. He saw it, flickering in the darkness of the tunnel- a butterfly. A white butterfly, trailing whispers in its wake...  
  
_Having fun, Inmate? You already have a source of Strength. Have you forgotten about us already? Or do you think there’s still enough room in your heart to take on another vow?_ _  
__  
_ Akira exhaled, and the ghostly voices receded back into their halfway place.  
  
“Friends…” Shiho sighed, beset by a sudden melancholy. “I have such wonderful friends. Ryuji can be surprisingly insightful when he tries. Just now, on the teacups, we got to talk about our careers…”  
  
“Huh,” Akira mused. “He had a pretty different take on that conversation…”  
  
“He has a good heart, though he’s a bit shortsighted,” Shiho said. “And as for Ann… well. Where do I even start with her?”  
  
“She sure is something,” Akira said.  
  
Shiho nodded. “Ann is… a treasure. When I thought I had nothing, I had Ann. When I thought I _was_ nothing, I-”  
  
Shiho caught herself, and looked away. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but Akira swore he saw a flicker of yellow in her eyes.  
  
“You really care about her,” Akira said. “Don’t you?”  
  
Shiho smiled, but it was a troubled smile.  
  
“I do,” Shiho whispered. “And somehow, I know… I know you understand.”  
  
Akira nodded, silent.  
  
“You’re so easy to talk to,” Shiho said softly. “There’s something about you, Kurusu. Something in your eyes… Ann has beautiful eyes. They’re bright, and sunny, and warm. Ann saw me, even when I thought I was invisible… but you, Kurusu. You see right through me.”  
  
Shiho exhaled, staring ahead into the dark.  
  
“Please don’t say anything,” she said softly. “I’m not… I’m not ready.”  
  
Shiho turned and met Akira’s eyes- not bright and sky-blue, like Ann’s, but a secretive, stormy gray.  
  
Akira didn’t say anything. He only smiled. Nodded.  
  
And he understood.  
  
~*~  
  
Ryuji and Ann were waiting at the exit, arms tight across their chests, pointedly not looking at each other.  
  
“Hate you,” Ann murmured.  
  
“Bite me,” Ryuji shot back.  
  
Their argument in the tunnel had turned… undignified, to say the least. But the longer they stood there, waiting for Akira and Shiho to arrive, the harder it was for them to stay angry. It was one of the things Ryuji and Ann had in common; they were both quick to anger, and just as quick to cool.  
  
Ann sighed, dropping her arms to her sides. “We are… so stupid,” Ann laughed.  
  
Ryuji smiled, then laughed along with her. “Oh man. We’re idiots. I’m sorry.”  
  
“Yeah. Listen, I’m sorry I asked you if you also bleached your-”  
  
“Ugh, okay, don’t- don’t say it again.”  
  
Akira and Shiho’s boat pulled up to the platform and they disembarked, Shiho wincing as her feet hit the floor. They shared a wordless exchange, returning to their fair-haired counterparts.  
  
“What happened to you two?” Akira asked, noticing some scuffing on their clothes.  
  
“I might have punched him,” Ann admitted.  
  
“I might have literally, not figuratively, kicked her ass,” Ryuji said.  
  
“Please,” Ann scoffed. “It didn’t even hurt.”  
  
“Maybe it would’ve hurt if you were more perfectly toned,” Ryuji muttered.  
  
“You know what? I-”  
  
“You two are such _good_ friends,” Shiho drawled.  
  
“Yeah,” Akira agreed. “Maybe they should date.”  
  
Ryuji and Ann stopped. They looked at each other.  
  
And then they burst out laughing.  
  
“Me? Date Ann? Are you serious?” Ryuji laughed in disbelief.  
  
“That’d be so weird!” Ann said, wiping a tear from her eyes. “Dating Ryuji would be like dating my brother or something.”  
  
“Besides, have you seen me?” Ryuji grinned. “ _Totally_ out of her league.”  
  
“What?!” Ann cried, indignant. “ _You’re_ out of _my_ league!”  
  
“Yeah, okay. What sport are we playing, here?”  
  
“Ugh! I can’t believe I almost said something _nice_ about you, you little-”  
  
“Guys. Guys!” Akira stepped forward, his palms out. Ryuji and Ann quit their bickering and looked at him.  
  
“First of all, volume, because we don’t have this park to ourselves,” Akira said, ever the voice of reason. “Second of all, if it makes you two feel better…”  
  
Akira smiled a trickster’s smile.  
  
“... I don’t think I’d date either of you.”  
  
“ _What?!_ ” Ryuji and Ann cried out in unison.  
  
“Are you kidding? I’m a model! Look at me, I’m a perfect 10!”  
  
“Dude, take that back! I am one hundred percent dating material!”  
  
Akira ran, and Ryuji and Ann chased after him, shouting their protests and indignation. Shiho followed after them, laughing, a hand over her mouth so no one would see her smile.  
  
~*~  
  
The sun was setting, and the ambient warmth of the summer day was dying down to a cool evening. The sky was lit through in orange and gold, and the crowd at the amusement park was changing- all the families with small kids and baby strollers were going home, replaced by young professionals let out of work, students, and young couples.  
  
The four of them were arrayed on a park bench. Ann had an arm around Shiho’s back, and Shiho’s legs were draped unselfconsciously on Ann’s lap. Ann was pressing a cool water bottle against Shiho’s aching calves in lieu of an ice pack. Ryuji, meanwhile, was laying down, his legs hooked over the bench’s side rail, his head in Akira’s lap. Ann and Shiho were kind enough not to comment. Akira, though…  
  
“This is nice,” Akira said, smirking.  
  
“Shut up,” Ryuji muttered. “There wasn’t enough room for me to sit down.”  
  
“Yeah, okay,” Ann snorted, but Shiho shushed her.  
  
“You comfy down there?” Akira asked, stopping short of petting Ryuji’s hair- Ryuji was already flustered enough.  
  
“Y-Yeah,” Ryuji muttered. “...Although, uh, this better be your _wallet_.”  
  
“Don’t make it weird.”  
  
Ryuji sat up, looking up at the others. “So. Think we should call it a day?”  
  
“It’s getting late,” Shiho said. “How much longer will they be open?”  
  
“We’ve got time,” Ann cooed. “If you’re still feeling up to it.”  
  
“Well,” Akira said, digging out his brochure. “It’s starting to get dark. Which means there’s one more place we have to go…”  
  
~*~  
  
“This was absolutely _zero percent_ the place I had in mind,” Akira muttered at the entrance to the haunted house, pinching the bridge of his nose.  
  
“Oh, let’s go! It’ll be fun!” Shiho exclaimed, bouncing on her heels in excitement. Akira frowned, since that must surely be painful for her.  
  
“Uh… guys…?” Ann blinked. “I don’t know about this one.”  
  
“Come on,” Ryuji said, taking Ann and Akira by the hands and pulling them inside. “We’ll all go together…”  
  
~*~  
  
“Ryuji,” Akira whispered.  
  
“What?”  
  
“You know how, sometimes, celebrities will go into one of these haunted houses, and they have people with night vision cameras and stuff follow them around so they can see more clearly…”  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“Do you think it’s any less scary for the guys with night vision cameras?”  
  
“Why would it be? They can see. They’re not… inching their way through in the dark…”  
  
“I dunno. Maybe, sometimes, it’s _scarier_ to know exactly what’s out there, instead of just having a feeling…”  
  
“Dude, it’s a haunted house. It’s not that deep. It’s just darkness and strobe lights and cheap-ass jump sca- aaaaAAAWFUCK!””  
  
~*~  
  
Elsewhere…  
  
“Shiho? Shiho, listen to me. Just listen. I _know_ they went down this hallway. Everything’s going to be fine. It’s going to be fine. We’re going to find the guys in no time. There is nothing… nothing… to be afraid of. Okay? Okay. I’m right here. It’s going to be fine. You’re going to be fine.”  
  
“Ann, are _you_ okay?”  
  
Ann scoffed.  
  
“‘Am I okay’? Pfft. This is- This is nothing I haven’t seen befo- ohhhhHH!”  
  
“Ann. It’s just me. That’s my hand.”  
  
“Okay. Okay. Okay.”  
  
“Ann.”  
  
“Okay.”  
  
“ _Ann._ ”  
  
“Okay. Um… can… can I hold your other hand, too?”  
  
“Ann, how are we going to walk, then?”  
  
“I dunno. Sideways?”  
  
“Alright… oh. Oh. Oh god.”  
  
“What? What is it?”  
  
“...Ann. I’m… holding both your hands, right?”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“Oh.” Shiho’s voice went small. “...just checking.”  
  
A pause.  
  
Shiho _screamed_ -  
  
~*~  
  
“I… am _so_ … sorry...,” Shiho said, bowing deeply at the waist.  
  
“Hey, hey, it’s fine,” replied a hapless park employee nursing a bloody nose. “You’d be surprised at how often this happens… or… well, maybe it’s not _that_ surprising. Anyway. Please, enjoy the rest of your stay at Dome City Attractions.”  
  
Shiho shuffled back to the bench where Ryuji and Ann were waiting, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.  
  
“I’m sorry I got us kicked out,” Shiho murmured, slumping down beside Ann and burying her head in Ann’s shoulder.  
  
“Are you kidding? That was a hell of a punch,” Ann smiled sweetly, trailing a hand through Shiho’s hair.  
  
“I did it for you,” Shiho smiled.  
  
“What a hero,” Ryuji muttered, grinning. “Wish I coulda seen it.”  
  
“It’s a shame you two didn’t make it to the end,” Akira said, returning with an envelope in hand. He tossed it to Ann. “You guys missed the best part.”  
  
Ann struggled with the envelope, one-handed, unwilling to pull her other hand away from Shiho’s hair. Ryuji reached over and tugged the envelope down for her, and Ann pulled out what was inside- a glorious color photo of Ryuji and Akira recoiling in terror from an off-camera assailant, Ryuji all-but hurling Akira in front of him in his panic.  
  
“Geez, Ryuji,” Ann snickered. “Way to throw Akira to the wolves.”  
  
“Oh, yeah,” Akira smirked. “That’s going up on a wall.”  
  
“Listen, man, I’ve thought this through,” Ryuji said. “I hurt my leg, dude. Can’t run like I used to. But if the two us are getting chased by monsters, I only need to run faster than you.”  
  
“What a hero,” Ann muttered.  
  
“Listen, Ann, you gotta be able to make these tough decisions…”  
  
“Your glasses always catch the flash in photos, Kurusu,” Shiho chimed in, peering over Ann’s shoulder. “We can never see your eyes. What are you hiding in there?”  
  
“All my secrets,” Akira said, deadpan. “Like how to make lockpicks, or how to make the perfect onigiri.”  
  
“Dude, they’re just rice balls,” Ryuji said. “There’s no secret to making a good one.”  
  
“I guess that means you’ve never had a perfect one, then.”  
  
“Are you offering to cook for me, bro? Because I’ll eat you out of house and home.”  
  
“He will,” Ann admitted.  
  
“Um,” Shiho spoke up. “I… I hate to be a pain about this, but I should really be going soon. Is there anything else you all wanted to do?”  
  
“Yes, actually,” Akira said, tucking the photo away and pulling out his brochure. “There’s just one more thing…”  
  
~*~  
  
Call him old fashioned, but Akira Kurusu truly believed that a trip to an amusement park was never complete until you’ve had a ride on the ferris wheel. That was, until he saw just how tall the damn thing was. He stood at the base of the boarding platform, staring up at the world’s first hubless ferris wheel, that was also unfortunately-named.  
  
“‘The Big O’,” Shiho read, on the placard. “...Isn’t that that old show, with the mecha…?”  
  
“I mean,” Ann said, her cheeks red. “That’s, uh, not the _first_ thing I would think of.”  
  
“Yo, I slipped the guy running this thing 1000 yen so we could all ride foursies,” Ryuji announced.  
  
They piled in, Ryuji and Ann in the middle, with Akira and Shiho on either side- two nights framing the day. Slowly, they began to rise.  
  
“You gonna be okay?” Ryuji asked. “It’s, uh… It’s a long way up.”  
  
“I’ll be okay,” Akira smirked. “I have you.”  
  
Ryuji shook his head, but couldn’t hide the tint to his cheeks. “Man, here I am, trying to be nice, and then you hit me outta left field with a line like _that_ …”  
  
There was plenty more where that came from, because soon enough, they made it to the top of the wheel, and all of Tokyo stretched out around them, ablaze with neon light that blotted out the stars.  
  
For a moment, just a moment, they sat at the top of the world.  
  
Shiho clung to Ann’s arm, silently nuzzling Ann’s shoulder. Ann reached over and ran her fingers through Shiho’s hair.  
  
“Tired?” Ann asked, her voice soft and warm. “I know. We’ll be back home soon.”  
  
Ryuji decided, at that moment, to try a technique he’d only seen done on TV. He stretched his arms above his head, and when his arms came down, they settled around the shoulders of Akira and Ann beside him.  
  
Ryuji let out a contented sigh, as both Akira and Ann drew in closer to him.  
  
“...You know, you guys are, like, my _best_ friends,” he said, completely sincere.  
  
“Yeah,” Ann exhaled, affectionately bumping her head against Ryuji’s, like a cat. “...But, if you’re gonna keep acting so sappy, I’ll never let you hear the end of it.”  
  
“It’s a hell of a view,” Akira said, innocently. Ryuji turned to him and barked out a laugh.  
  
“Dude. Can you, like, not look _right at me_ when you say stuff like that? At least look at Ann or something. She always looks great.”  
  
“Aww, Ryuji said two nice things in a row! I think I might faint,” Ann teased.  
  
“Oh, shuddup,” Ryuji said, but he was grinning from ear to ear. He squeezed Akira’s shoulder. “And _you_. We’re having a moment, alright? Don’t make it weird.”  
  
“Listen, man, _you_ put your arm around _me_.”  
  
“We’re high up and you’re afraid of heights,” Ryuji muttered. “I just didn’t want you to get dizzy or whatever.”  
  
“Uh-huh.”  
  
Ryuji sighed. Smiled.  
  
Just, y’know, two guys, at the amusement park, cuddling on the ferris wheel…  
  
“Hey, Ryuji?” Akira mumbled into Ryuji’s chest.  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
“...Do you work out?”  
  
Ann snorted. Ryuji just grinned and shook his head.  
  
“Dude. _What_ did I just tell you about making it weird?”  
  
~*~  
  
They joined the trickle of people leaving Dome City, stepping out of the park and back into the real world, with its grimy streets, and neon lights, and men in cheap suits scurrying past.  
  
“Thanks for this, Akira,” Ann said, smiling bright. “You too, Ryuji. Today was a blast. We gotta do this again. And, hey, next time, it’ll be on us.”  
  
“Can I get that in writing?” Ryuji asked, and Ann socked him in the arm.  
  
“How much longer will you be in town?” Akira asked Shiho.  
  
“One week, maybe two. Then it’s back out to the countryside for me,” Shiho replied.  
  
“Then I hope I’ll see you again,” Akira nodded.  
  
“Me too,” Shiho smiled- small, but warm, like a candleflame. “I… don’t really get out much, aside from some dinners with the volleyball team, so, um… this was nice. And… well… just in case I don’t see you again… thank you, for tonight. It means so much.”  
  
Shiho offered her hand, and Akira took it. Out of the corner of his eye, a white butterfly flitted past.  
  
“Any time,” Akira smiled.  
  
The girls waved and then disappeared down the street, hand in hand. Akira watched them go. Ryuji lingered by his side, sticking his thumbs through his belt loops.  
  
“Those two,” Akira muttered, thoughtful. “...They’re good for each other, don’t you think?”  
  
“Yeah,” Ryuji nodded. “Y’know, they kinda remind me of us.”  
  
Akira raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”  
  
“N-Nevermind,” Ryuji muttered. Akira only smiled.  
  
“Come on,” Akira said. “I’ll race you to the station. Last one there’s got to buy both our tickets.”  
  
“Oh, c’mon, dude, I’ve got, like, no cash left on me…!” Ryuji called out.  
  
“Then you’d better win!” Akira grinned, and kept running.  
  
~*~  
  
The attic at Cafe Leblanc felt so small and quiet after spending the whole day surrounded by crowds. Akira flopped face-first onto his bed, suffused with that oddly satisfying full-body ache of having spent the whole day out with friends. His limbs were heavy. But his heart was light.  
  
Morgana only barely stirred from Akira diving into bed. He opened one sleepy eye, shining blue in the dim light.  
  
“H-Huh? Whoa… How… How long was I out?” Morgana wondered.  
  
“It’s night already,” Akira shrugged. “You could just go back to sleep.”  
  
“Sounds like a plan,” Morgana said. He shrugged, if a cat could be said to shrug, and closed his eye. The blue glow disappeared, and Morgana returned to being a shadow with white mittens at the foot of Akira’s bed.  
  
Akira’s phone chirped. He held it up, and saw Makoto’s stern-faced icon in the group chat.  
  
_Akira. About these recent expenses…_  
  
_I can explain_ , Akira sent. _Let’s talk about this in the morning._  
  
Akira closed the group chat with a sigh, and laid back in bed, exhausted.  
  
That should have been the end of it.  
  
But something nagged at the edge of his senses. A glimpse of yellow eyes flicked across his vision. Voices swam through his head…  
  
_...a treasure… when I thought I had nothing, I had Ann. When I thought I_ ** _was_** _nothing, I…_ _  
__  
__...I know you understand._ ** _You see right through me_** _…_ _  
__  
__...just in case I don’t see you again…_ _  
__  
__..._ ** _thank you, for tonight._** _  
_  
Akira exhaled.  
  
Maybe it was nothing. It was probably nothing. But if it _was_ something, and he ignored it…  
  
Akira sat up. He held up his phone and tapped the app icon, a red eye with a star for a pupil. He heard the familiar chime, and the familiar voice.  
  
_“Welcome to Metaverse Navigation. Please state your query.”_  
  
Akira raised his phone to his lips.  
  
“Shiho Suzui.”  
  
There was a chime…  
  
~*~


End file.
